Counting hand stamp



May 1942- J. E. SADLER 2,283,130

COUNT ING HAND STAMP Filed Oct. 15, 1940 U 54 Ina/en'I'or JOH N EDWARDSADLER 'Z"l'orneg By" 2 ##QP Patented May 12, 1942 UNETED STATES PATENTOFFICE COUNTING HAND STAMP Application October 15, 1940, Serial No.361,234

1 Claim. ((31. 235-129) The present invention relates to a countingstamper, more particularly a hand stamp provided with means forautomatically counting and registering the number of imprints made withthe stamp.

Objects of the invention are to provide such a device which is small,light, easy to manipulate and relatively inexpensive to construct. Afurther object is to provide such a device wherein the register isautomatically operated by an operation necessarily performed ineffecting a proper imprint with the stamper. A still further object isto provide a device of the type mentioned provided with means for givinga definite signal to the operator in the event that an actuation of theregister corresponding to the making of an imprint fails to take placeor in case the register is mistakenly actuated when .a correspondingimprint has not been effected. Other objects and advantages of theinvention will be apparent from the ensuing more particular descriptionand from the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a registering hand stamp in accordancewith the invention, with the register actuating parts partiallydepressed, and with parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 4 locking in the directionof the arrows, showing register actuating parts in uppermost position;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of the upper part of the device withthe register actuating parts fully depressed;

Fig. 4 is a detail front elevation of the upper part of the device, theregister being shown partially in vertical section, partially inelevation with the casing broken away, register actuating parts being inuppermost position;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section view on the lines 5-5- of Fig. 4.

As shown in the accompanying drawing, the stamper has a main stem it oflightweight rigid material, such as lightweight metal. Preferably thestem it is of small diameter, on the order of a half inch or so, and isrelatively long, say, four to six inches in length. At the lower end ofthe stem it is located the type holder 22 which may be an integral partof the stem it} or a separate part fixed thereto and which is provided,at its lower end, with suitable sockets it for the reception of type itto form a stamping die. The type it are preferably of rubber and havetheir upper portions wedged into the sockets l4 leaving their printingends projecting axially from the end of the stem It.

On the upper end of the stem Ill is mounted the counting register,indicated generally at [8. The particular register shown has a more orless cylindrical thin metal housing or casing 29 provided, intermediateits ends, with a projecting flange or pedestal portion 22 by which it isattached to the stem IE, and, on the side opposite pedestal 22 with awindow 24 through which the numbers registered by the counting mechanismmay be viewed.

The counting mechanism, which is shown in detail in Fig. 4, includes amain shaft 26 rotatably journaled in the end walls of the casing 2!) andextending coaxially therethrough. An end of shaft 25 extends outwardlythrough one end wall of the casing and has fixed thereto an operatinglever arm 3b and, between said lever and said end wall, a hub member 32having a projecting arm 34 adapted to engage stops it on the casing 2%]to limit rotative movement of the shaft- 25 in both directions. A coilspring 3? (Fig. 4) surrounding shaft 26 and connected at one end to hub32 and at the other end to casing 20 resists rotative movement of shaft2% in one direction between stops counter-clockwise in Fig. 1.

Within casing 25 are rotatably seated the usual number wheels, fivebeing shown at 38, 40, 42, M and 4t, 33 being the units wheel, at thetens wheel, etc., and suitable transmission mechanism is provided forautomatically advancing the units wheel 38 to register the next highernumber below the window 24 at each complete reciprocal rocking of shaft26 between the stops 36, and for similarly advancing the tens wheel idon each revolution of wheel 38, etc. The particular transmissionmechanism shown is of a well-known type which includes an internalratchet 48 on the unit wheel 38 engaged by one or more cooperatingspring pressed drive pawls 58 on a disc 5| fixed to the end of shaft 25to rotate wheel 38 with the shaft as it is turned in one direction(clockwise in Fig. 1) in the amount permitted by stops 36; one or morespring-pressed hold pawls 52 on a disc 53 fixedly connected to a fixedcentral boss 2E within the casing shaft 2% being rotatable within saiddisc 53, said pawl 52 engaging ratchet to prevent rotation of wheel 3%in the opposite direction; and an internal gear 54 on each of the othernumber wheels 46, 42, 44 and it in mesh with a corresponding idler cogwheel 56 rotatable on a fixed pin 51 extending longitudinally within thecasing which said cog wheel is rotated to advance its number wheel onefigure at each revolution of the preceding number wheel by periodicengagement with a lug 58 on said preceding number wheel.

Lever arm 30 has pivotally connected to its outer end a link 69, saidlink having yoke arms 62 which are pivoted by a pin 64 to opposite sidesof a generally cylindrical sleeve 65 which surrounds stem ID to adjacentits lower end and is freely slidable longitudinally of the stem. Sleeve66 is of lightweight rigid construction and fits closely, thoughloosely, over stem It. A flange 68 on stem Iii adjacent its lower endengages the lower end of sleeve 66 to limit downward sliding of sleeve6%, and upward movement of sleeve 6G is limited by engagement of the toor the sleeve with pedestal 22 of the counter.

Normally, sleeve 66 is held in its uppermost position abutting pedestal22 by coil spring 3'! which, as previously stated, opposescounterclockwise movement of counter shaft 25 as viewed in Fig. 1, andconsequently opposes downward movement of lever 39 and sleeve 66 throughlink 68-. When an imprint is to be made with the stamper, sleeve 65 isgrasped b the hand and is automatically forced down toward stop 68 bypressing the type against the surface to be imprinted, drawing lever 38downward and turning shaft 26 counter-clockwise as shown in Fig. 1against the resistance of spring 3'3. When printing pressure isreleased, spring 37 rotates shaft 28 in the opposite direction to theextent permitted by stops 36 raising sleeve and lever 39 to normalposition.

A rectangular recess is in the upper end of stem IE! co-operates withpin M to prevent rotation of sleeve 66 on stem 10 which would result instrain on the connecting linkage.

For the sake of accuracy of counting, it is obviously important thatshaft 26 be automatically reciprocated only once during each stampingoperation to the extent required to advance the register mechanism oneunit. To a large degree, this automatic operation can be assured byproperly proportioning the strength of spring 31 so that its-resistanceto movement of the register actuating parts to the extent required toadvance the register is slightly less than the minimum vertical pressurewhich must be applied to sleeve 66 to effect a clear imprint with thetype. The pressure necessary for properly inking the type on an ink padis considerably less than the pressure required to effect a suitableimprint, so that, with the resistance of spring 31 so proportioned,false actuation of the counter mechanism on inking will not normallytake place. However, there is no guarantee that an operator,particularly if inexperienced, will not unwittingly apply excessivepressure in inking suflicient to actuate the counter or make a lightimprint with pressure insufiicient to actuate the counter, causing inaccuracy in the counting. To avoid such inaccuracies, I provide novelmechanism, now to be described, for giving the operator a definitesignal when a desired actuation of the register does not take place oran undesired actuation does take place.

As shown in the several figures of the drawing, rocker arm 12 ispivotally mounted on one side of lever 30 adjacent the outer end of thelever, by means of a pivot pin 14 attached to arm 12 intermediate theends of the arm and journalled through the lever 35. Fixed to pin 14, onthe other side of lever 30 from the arm 12, is a pawl 16 adapted toengage a set of ratchet teeth 1'8 when the rocker arm 12 is in theposition shown in Figs, 1 and 2. Ratchet teeth 18 are formed upon onearcuate edge of a plate member fixed to the casing 20. At opposite endsof ratchet teeth 13, plate 80 is provided with a pair of fixed pins 82and 84 projecting toward lever 30. A pull spring 86 is connected to theouter end of rocker arm 72 and to the inner end of lever 30.

When lever 38 reaches the top of its up-stroke, pin 82 strikes the innerend of rocker arm 12, pivoting the arm to the position shown in Figs. 1and 2 with pawl 76 engaged with ratchet teeth 78. As lever 39 is movedthrough the downstroke, arm 12' is held by spring 86 in this positionwith pawl 16 engaging and, clicking over the ratchet teeth, as shown inFig. 1. When lever 30 reaches the bottom of the downstroke, pin 84strikes the inner end of rocker arm 12 causing the arm to pivot in acounterclockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 1 and 3 to the positionshown in Fig. 3 in which it engages a suitable stop (not shown) on lever30, freeing pawl 16 from engagement with ratchet teeth 18. Spring 86holds arm 12 in this latter position until lever 36 reaches the top ofits upstroke (Figs. 2 and 4) when arm 12 strikes pin 82 and is againrocked to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

It will be evident that in order to free pawl 16 from ratchet teeth 78,lever 38 must be moved the full extent of its downstroke so that rockerarm #2 will strike pin 84. Consequently, when insuflicient pressure isapplied to sleeve 66 to pull lever 35) down to the full extent requiredto actuate the register, as on inking or making too light an imprint,pawl 18 remains engaged with fixed ratchet l8 preventing return of lever30 to its upper position by spring 37. Thus the operator is definitelynotified each time the stamper is pressed down on an object whether ornot sleeve (56 has been pressed down far enough to actuate the register.Any improper actuation of the register or any failure to actuate theregister at the proper time is thus immediately made known to theoperator and error in the counting which would otherwise ensue can beavoided.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the register is shown asmounted on the main stem of the stamping die and the operating linkageas connected to the sliding sleeve or handle. Obviously, it would bepossible to reverse this arrangement of parts, mounting the register onthe handle and connecting the operating linkage to the stem. Thearrangement shown, is, however, preferred for several reasons. In thefirst place, the register is necessarily relatively heavy, and if itsweight were added to the handle, spring 31 would have to be muchstronger than in the preferred embodiment in order to support the handlein normal raised position, so much stronger that the pressure on thehandle necessary to press the handle down against the springsufiiciently to actuate the register is likely to be greater than thepressure required for printing satisfactorily with the stamper. In thatevent, actuation of the register will not result from normal printingpressure on the stamper, as it does in the preferred embodiment, and thechances for error are greatly increased. In the second place, theregister, if mounted on the handle, is more subject to jarring bodilymovement and consequently to wear and breakage.

It will be apparent that I have herein shown and described only apreferred embodiment of the invention and that various changes may beoperatively connecting said register to said sleeve for actuation ofsaid register on predetermined reciprocal sliding movement of saidsleeve along said stem and resilient means for yieldably resistingdepression of said sleeve relative to said die toward the lower limit ofsaid predetermined sliding movement and for returning said sleeve to theupper limit of said predetermined sliding movement on release ofpressure from said 10 sleeve.

JOHN EDWARD SADLER.

